Sociology 3AA3E

THE SOCIOLOGY OF MASS MEDIA

Fall, 2001
Instructor: Dr. David Young

Course Outline

Contact Information

My name is Dr. Young, and my office is KTH 629. My office hours are Mondays, 5:30-6:30 pm and
Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30 pm. Please note: I would appreciate it if you could, as much as possible, consult
with me when I am scheduled to be in my office (not at the beginning of a class, during a break, or at the
end of a class). If you are unable to speak with me during scheduled office hours, you may ask me to
arrange an appointment for you. My office hours will not be in effect on holidays, during the term-end
examination period, or during Reading Week.

My office telephone number is 905-525-9140, Ext. 23615. Please note: Leave your name, a telephone
number (spoken slowly), and a very brief message.

My email address is youngd@mcmaster.ca. Please note: Any email message should deal with something
short and simple (such as setting up an appointment). Complicated matters (such as assistance with
assignments) can only be addressed in my office.

Course Description

The first objective of the course is to help students develop a sociological understanding of the mass media
that is based on critical perspectives. These critical perspectives are political economy (which focuses on
the ownership and control of the mass media) and cultural studies (which focuses on the ideology in the
content of the mass media). Both perspectives are influenced by the work of Karl Marx and his followers
and well as others who are critical of the kind of society we have and advocate social change. We will
therefore be critical of the impact that capitalism has had on the mass media. We will be critical of audience
research that aims to enhance the power and profits of private corporations. We will be critical of the
growing power of private corporations over the mass media through ownership concentration and
globalization. We will be critical of the capitalist, patriarchal, and racist ideology that is embedded in the
content of the mass media.

The second objective of the course is to help students develop an understanding of the mass media in
Canadian society. Consequently, the issues identified above will frequently be addressed in relation to
critical Canadian research. Some uniquely Canadian topics will also be examined. We will be critical of the
role played by motion pictures and broadcasting in the historical domination of Canada by the United
States. We will be critical of the role played by public broadcasting in the historical domination of Quebec
by Canada. With regard to issues involving the mass media, we will be critical of Canadian private
corporations and the Canadian state which serves the interests of these corporations.
Course Format

This is a lecture course. It is scheduled to run for three hours one night a week. You will be given a 15
minute break at a convenient point (toward the middle of the class period), but you should be prepared for
the class to run the full three hours on many nights. I will be showing a number of videos in addition to
giving lectures, and the videos necessarily add to the class time.

There is no tutorial for the course. However, depending on the number of students in the class and the
quality of the classroom, I may try to incorporate some discussion of points raised in the lecture or
discussion of the videos.

Course Requirements

The course requirements, and the weights attached to them in the calculation of your final grade, are as
follows:

In-Class Test 25%

Critical Media Journal 40%
Final Examination 35%

During the first few weeks of the term, you will be given a handout which provides comprehensive
instructions for completing the critical media journal. The journal is due on Nov. 26. Through this
assignment, you will demonstrate your understanding of critical perspectives on the mass media.

The in-class test will be held on Oct. 15, and the final examination will be scheduled by the Registrar=s
Office for sometime between Dec. 5-18. The in-class test will cover all material up to that point in the
course while the final examination will cover the material between the in-class test and the end of the course.
The test and examination will be based on a combination of multiple choice questions and essay questions.
Additional information about the test and examination will be supplied shortly before they are held. No
information about the test or examination will be released to individual students before this information is
announced to the entire class.

You will only be permitted to write a missed test or examination if you provide official documentation of
medical or compassionate conditions which explain your absence (e.g., a doctor=s note or a death
certificate). Similarly, if you do not submit the critical media journal on time, a penalty (2% per day) will be
imposed unless you provide official documentation of medical or compassionate conditions which explain
the lateness. The official documentation must cover the relevant course date, and it must be presented to
the instructor within ten days of the missed date.
You should be aware that any course material may end up on a test or examination. This material includes
lectures, readings, videos, reviews or summaries of course material, etc. Any videos that are shown will
not be made available for students who miss them, so you are advised to be in class and take notes on this
material.
Grades

Many of the grades in this course will be letter grades. However, for purposes of interpretation and
calculation of a final course grade, the numerical mid-point (or approximate numerical mid-point) of a letter
grade will also be provided. In the case of a failing grade (ie., an F), the numerical equivalent (between 0%-
49%) will be the decision of the marker. The penalty for lateness (2% per day) will be deducted from the
numerical equivalent attached to your letter grade.

Academic Ethics

You are advised to familiarize yourself with the university=s regulations on academic ethics. Please see the
AStatement on Academic Ethics@ in the Senate Policy Statements (which are distributed at registration and
available in the Senate Office). Please see as well the ASenate Resolutions on Academic Dishonesty@
(which are also available in the Senate Office).

Student Responsibility

It is your responsibility to attend all classes in this course. The instructor bears no responsibility for
difficulties experienced by students who do not attend classes. The instructor will not provide copies of
overheads or lecture notes. The instructor will not brief students on what they have missed (including
announcements regarding the in-class test, the final examination, or other important matters). Like the
instructor, the teaching assistant for this course is not responsible for supplying you with material or
information that you have missed.

It is your responsibility to ensure that any travel plans you make do not conflict with the scheduled classes in
this course or the term-end examination period. The instructor bears no responsibility for difficulties
experienced by students who ignore this requirement.

It is your responsibility to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner during each class. You must not
engage in any behaviour which is disruptive or distracting. This behaviour includes (but is not limited to)
arriving late for class or after a break; talking to someone during the class; reading a newspaper, magazine,
book, etc. during the class; sleeping during the class; and leaving before the class is over. If there are
circumstances when you absolutely must leave before the class is over, you are required to inform the
instructor at the beginning of the class. Finally, the class must not be interrupted by the ringing of cellular
phones, and such phones must not be used inside the classroom (even during a break).

It is your responsibility to listen to the lectures and take good notes. Unless a student has official
documentation of special needs, no audio taping of the lectures will be allowed.

Course Readings

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All of the required readings for this course (which are set out in the schedule below) have been assembled in
a Custom Courseware package. The package is available for purchase through the McMaster Bookstore.

Course Schedule

The course schedule below identifies the course topics, the dates when the topics will be addressed, and the
required readings for the topics. You will be given reasonable notice if any significant change has to be
made in the schedule.

Part I:
Toward a Critical Sociological Analysis
of the Mass Media

Theoretical and Methodological Issues (Sept. 10)

Reading: Vincent Mosco, ACommunications Studies in North America: The Growth of Critical
Perspectives@

Issues in Research on Audiences (Sept. 17)

Reading: Liss Jeffrey, ARethinking Audiences for Cultural Industries: Implications for Canadian Research@

Part II:
Political Economy, Cultural Studies, and the Impact
of Capitalism on the Mass Media

Ownership and Globalization (Sept. 24)

Reading: Edward S. Herman and Robert W. McChesney, AThe Rise of the Global Media@

Ideology and the News (Oct. 1)

Reading: Graham Knight, ANews and Ideology@

No Class on Oct. 8 (Thanksgiving)

In-Class Test (Oct. 15)

Part III:
The Political Economy of Canadian Mass Media

Canadian Motion Pictures (Oct. 22)

Reading: Seth Feldman, AAnd Always Will Be: The Canadian Film Industry@

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Canadian Broadcasting I: Americanization (Oct. 29)
Reading: Dallas W. Smythe, AMedia of Canadian Cultural Submission III: Broadcasting@

Canadian Broadcasting II: National Unity (Nov. 5)

Reading: Marc Raboy, APublic Television, the National Question, and the Preservation of the Canadian
State@

Part IV:
Cultural Studies, Social Inequality, and the Mass Media

Representation of Race (Nov. 12)

Reading: Marc Grenier, ANative Indians in the English-Canadian Press: The Case of the >Oka Crisis=@

Representation of Gender (Nov. 19)

Reading: Carol M. Dole, AWoman with a Gun: Cinematic Law Enforcers on the Gender Frontier@

Representation of Class (Nov. 26)

Reading: Richard Butsch, AClass and Gender in Four Decades of Television Situation Comedy: Plus ça
Change...@

Part V:
Overview of a Critical Sociological Analysis
of the Mass Media

Course Review and Strategies for Change (Dec. 3)

Reading: None

Final Examination (Dec. 5-18)